Federal prosecutors frequently choose to charge
individual defendants with a variety of crimes
under a number of different statutes. An organized
crime figure who committed a murder, for example,
might be indicted for murder, a variety of weapons
charges, and numerous organized crime and
conspiracy offenses. A bank robbery in which a
weapon is used may result in both weapons and bank
robbery charges. During the data collection
process, the Justice Department asks the
prosecutors to select the "lead charge" on all
referrals that they handle. Obviously, these
judgments often are somewhat subjective when
multiple serious charges are involved. Sometimes,
they are influenced by the political needs of the
moment: an administration, for example, that wants
to show the public it is concentrating on organized
crime or on violence with weapons.

Here then, as viewed through the lens of federal
prosecutors across the country, are the most
frequently cited "lead charges" involved in
referrals coming from the ATF. The complete text of
these frequently cited lead charges can be viewed
by selecting the particular statute of interest in
the following table.